The disclosure relates to using a remote wind velocity sensor and in particular to using wind velocities measured by the remote wind velocity sensor to visually enhance understanding of an impending or occurring event.
Wind velocity measurements are used in a variety of circumstances. For example, much work has focused on the use of measured wind velocities in the aerospace and aviation industries. As another example, knowledge of wind velocities is vital for the efficient operation of wind energy installations. Measured wind velocities have also been used for decades to predict weather patterns and to aid in forecasting.
Historically, wind measurements have been provided by on-site wind velocity sensors. Anemometers, both on-ground or mounted on an above-ground platform (such as a weather balloon or tower), have for decades been the predominant wind velocity sensor. Such on-site sensors, for example, have been used to generate weather maps showing wind velocities at various locations on the map. The wind velocities measured at the location of each device are added to a single map so that the map shows a collection of wind velocities from which patterns can be visualized. On-site wind velocity measurements are used for a variety of other applications as well.
In recent years, remote wind velocity sensing has been employed. In remote wind velocity sensing, an instrument is configured to measure wind velocities at locations remote from the location of the instrument. Typically, remote wind velocity sensors project a measurable form of energy to the desired measurement location. At least a portion of the projected energy is reflected back to the wind velocity sensor which then determines from the reflected portion of energy the characteristics of the measured wind. Projected energy includes both acoustic energy and electromagnetic energy.
An example of a remote wind velocity sensor is a laser Doppler velocimeter (“LDV”). A wind speed LDV transmits light to a target region (e.g., into the atmosphere) and receives a portion of that light after it has scattered or reflected from the target region or scatterers in the target region. In atmospheric measurements, the target for this reflection consists of entrained aerosols (resulting in Mie scattering) or the air molecules themselves (resulting in Rayleigh scattering). Using the received portion of scattered or reflected light, the LDV determines the velocity of the target relative to the LDV.
In greater detail, a wind speed LDV includes a source of coherent light, a beam shaper and one or more telescopes. The telescopes each project a generated beam of light into the target region. The beams strike airborne scatterers (or air molecules) in the target region, resulting in one or more back-reflected or backscattered beams. In a monostatic configuration, a portion of the backscattered beams is collected by the same telescopes which transmitted the beams. The received beams are combined with reference beams in order to detect a Doppler frequency shift from which velocity may be determined.
With the advent of the LDV, remote wind velocity sensing may be performed in environments where wind velocity measurements were desirable but not before possible in any practical sense. For example, the outcome of many sports competitions (e.g., American football, baseball, golf, etc.) may be influenced by wind velocities. Consequently, knowledge of wind conditions at such sporting events is desirable, even if the wind velocity information is only known by spectators (in certain sports, rules of competition may prohibit the competitors from using devices that indicate the precise wind velocity). By knowing the precise wind velocity at the competition venue, individuals would be better able to determine the specific actions or counter-measures that should be taken during the competition to account for the measured wind velocity.